# Comment: The Standing of Qui Tam Relators Under the False Claims Act Utah Supreme Court; Brigham Young University Law School Date Written: September 10, 2008 Abstract The False Claims Act (“FCA”) is the federal government’s chief defense against fraud. Passed during the Civil War to help deter fraud by defense contractors, the FCA grants a cause of action to the United States to sue for civil damages and penalties against any entity knowingly presenting a fraudulent claim to the government. The qui tam provision of the Act authorizes private individuals to adopt the government’s cause of action and sue …